Soups
Fresh Yam, Dendrobium, Goji and Sea Cucumber Soup
Traditionally used to nourish kidney yin, support the spleen and stomach, and help relieve a persistent salty sensation in the mouth
In short: Fresh Yam, Dendrobium, Goji and Sea Cucumber Soup is a soup that Traditionally used to nourish kidney yin, support the spleen and stomach, and help relieve a persistent salty sensation in the mouth. It is most often made for digestive wellness, children's wellness, kidney & urinary wellness. Total time about 200 min. Key ingredients: chinese yam, dendrobium, goji berries, figs.
Why people make this soup
Most of us have experienced an occasional strange taste in the mouth without any obvious reason. In traditional Chinese medicine, a persistent salty sensation is associated with the kidneys — specifically a state of kidney yin deficiency brought on by overwork, prolonged illness, or the natural decline that comes with age. Rather than reaching for something warming and stimulating (ginger lamb soup, ginseng and deer antler), the traditional approach is to replenish what has been depleted through nourishing, gentle foods. This soup uses a combination of fresh Chinese yam, dendrobium orchid stem, goji berries, and sea cucumber — all ingredients that TCM regards as moistening and supportive for both kidney and digestive function.
What studies say about the key ingredients
Traditional use is not the same as clinical proof. Here is the strongest human research we found for each ingredient, limitations included.
- Dendrobium
Salivary flow rate and oral mucosal scores improved more in the Dendrobium group than in the control group using vitamin B12 rinse alone (P < .05). Serum IL-10 rose from baseline, and oral bacterial composition differed.Limitation: Small single-hospital sample; the Dendrobium group also used the B12 rinse, and the abstract does not say whether the control group received a placebo drink.PubMed 39811879 · 2 more dendrobium studies - Goji berries
Compared with placebo (n=80), the goji juice group (n=81) reported greater improvements in several self-rated symptoms, including stress, mental acuity, sleep quality and overall well-being, under a random effects model.Limitation: Outcomes were self-reported symptom questionnaires, and several symptoms showed significant heterogeneity across the four pooled trials of a single branded juice.PubMed 22897500 · 3 more goji berries studies
From the Nourilo Research Library. Findings come from specific doses, extracts and populations and may not apply to a home-cooked recipe.
Safety first — read before you cook
This is a traditional food, not a treatment. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist before making it a regular part of your diet if you:
- are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are cooking for a young child;
- take regular medicines — especially blood thinners, blood-pressure, diabetes or immune-suppressing drugs;
- have a kidney, liver or heart condition, or a known food allergy.
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Goji berries: A few cases of raised INR (a bleeding-risk marker) have been reported in people taking warfarin after drinking concentrated goji tea or wine. If you take a blood thinner, check with your doctor. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering — Lycium
Stop eating it and seek advice if you notice an allergic reaction or feel unwell. Safety notes reviewed 8 October 2026 · How we write safety notes
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